Floorboard and method for manufacturing thereof

ABSTRACT

Floorboards with a surface of flexible fibers for laying a mechanically joined floating floor, and methods for manufacturing and profloorings containing such floorboards.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims the benefit of Swedish PatentApplication No. SE 0300479-3, filed in Sweden on Feb. 24, 2003, and U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/456,957, filed in the United States onMar. 25, 2003. The contents of SE 0300479-3 and U.S. 60/456,957 areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0002] 1. Technical Field

[0003] The invention relates generally to the technical field offloorboards. The invention concerns floorboards with a sound-absorbingsurface of fibers which can be joined mechanically in differentpatterns. The invention also concerns methods for manufacturing suchfloorboards. The invention is particularly suited for use in floatingfloors.

[0004] 2. Field of Application

[0005] The present invention is particularly suited for use in floatingfloors with mechanical joint systems. Such floors often consist of asurface layer of laminate or wood, a core and a balancing layer and areformed as recfloorboards intended to be joined mechanically, i.e.without glue, along both long sides and short sides in the vertical andhorizontal direction.

[0006] The following description of prior-art technique, problems ofknown systems, as well as the object and features of the invention willtherefore as non-limiting examples be aimed mainly at this field ofapplication. However, it should be emphasized that the invention can beused in optional floorboards which have a surface layer and a core. Theinvention may thus also be applicable to floors that are nailed or gluedto a base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Floating floors with mechanical joint systems and with a surfaceof laminate or wood have in recent years taken large shares of themarket from, for instance, carpets and plastic flooring but also fromwooden flooring that is glued to the base. One reason is that thesefloors can be laid quickly and easily on a subfloor that does not haveto be perfectly smooth or flat. They can move freely from the subfloor.Shrinkage and swelling occur under the baseboards and the joints betweenthe floorboards are tight. A floating floor with a mechanical jointsystem can easily be taken up and laid once more. Individual floorboardscan be replaced, the subfloor is accessible for renovation and theentire floor can be moved to a different room.

[0008] Plastic floors and textile floor coverings that are glued to thesubfloor require a perfectly flat subfloor. Laying is complicated andthe flooring cannot be removed without being damaged. Such floorings areadvantageous since they can be supplied in widths of for instance 4 m.There are few joints. Plastic floorings are impermeable to water, andboth plastic flooring and textile flooring are soft and produce a lowersound level than laminates and wooden floors.

[0009] Thus, floating floors have many advantages over floors that areglued to the subfloor. A great drawback of such floating floors with ahard surface of wood or laminate is, however, that they produce a highsound level with people walking on the floor. The sound level can beannoying especially in public places, such as offices, hotels andbusiness premises where there are many people walking around. It wouldbe possible to use floating floors to a greater extent if the soundlevel could be reduced.

DEFINITION OF SOME TERMS

[0010] In the following text, the visible surface of the installedfloorboard is called “front side”, while the opposite side of thefloorboard, facing the subfloor, is called “rear side”. The sheet-shapedstarting material that is used in manufacture is called “core”. When thecore is coated with a surface layer closest to the front side andpreferably also a balancing layer closest to the rear side, it forms asemimanufacture which is called “floor panel” or “floor element” in thecase where the semi-manufacture, in a subsequent operation, is dividedinto a plurality of floor panels mentioned above. When the floor panelsare machined along their edges so as to obtain their final shape withthe joint system, they are called “floorboards”. By “surface layers” aremeant all layers applied to the core closest to the front side andcovering preferably the entire front side of the floorboard. By“decorative surface layer” is meant a layer which is essentiallyintended to give the floor its decorative appearance. “Wear layer”relates to a layer which is mainly adapted to improve the durability ofthe front side. By “laminate flooring” is meant flooring that isavailable on the market under this designation. The wear layer of thelaminate flooring consists as a rule of a transparent sheet of paperwhich is impregnated with melamine resin, with aluminum oxide added. Thedecorative layer consists of a melamine impregnated decorative sheet ofpaper. The core is as a rule a wood-fiber-based sheet. By “HDF” is meantsheet material that is known on the market under the designation highdensity fiberboard, HDF, consisting of ground wood fibers joined by abinder. When a HDF sheet is manufactured with a lower density, it iscalled MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard).

[0011] The outer parts of the floorboard at the edge of the floorboardbetween the front side and the rear side are called “joint edge”. As arule, the joint edge has several “joint surfaces” which can be vertical,horizontal, angled, rounded, beveled etc. These joint surfaces exist ondifferent materials, for instance laminate, fiberwood, plastic, metal(especially aluminum) or sealing material. By “joint” or “lockingsystem” are meant coacting connecting means which connect thefloorboards vertically and/or horizontally. By “mechanical lockingsystem” is meant that joining can take place without glue horizontallyparallel to the surface and vertically perpendicular to the surface.Mechanical joint systems can in many cases also be joined by means ofglue. By “floatng floor” is meant flooring with floorboards which areonly joined with their respective joint edges and thus not glued to thesubfloor. In case of movement due to moisture, the joint remains tight.Movement due to moisture takes place in the outer areas of the flooralong the walls hidden under the baseboards. By “textile floor” is meanta soft flooring which consists of oil-based synthetic fibers or naturalfibers joined to form a carpet or felt. The flooring is usually producedin a width of about 4 m and a length that can be several hundred meters.The flooring is delivered from the factory usually in rolls and isusually installed by gluing to a subfloor. By “needle felt” is meant afiber-based felt which is sold on the market under the designationneedle felt carpet. This floor consists of oil-based fibers of e.g.polypropylene (PP), nylon (PA) or polyester (PES) which are joined toform a felt. Joining takes place by a fiber mat being punched by meansof hooked needles. The rear side is usually coated with foam which mayconsist of latex and chalk.

PRIOR-ART TECHNIQUE AND PROBLEMS THEREOF

[0012] To facilitate the understanding and the description of thepresent invention as well as the knowledge of the problems behind theinvention, a description of prior-art technique now follows. Floorboardswhich in the following are referred to as rectangular with long sidesand short sides can also be square.

[0013] Hard floorings with a surface of laminate or wood cause a highsound level. The high sound level arises mainly as people walk on thehard laminate or wood surface. The sound that is produced at the surfacecauses a high sound level in the room. The sound also penetrates thefloor and into the beams and joists. To solve this problem, floatingfloors have been installed on a base of cardboard, felt, foam or likematerials. The reduction of sound thus occurs on the rear side of thefloorboard by means of special underlay materials that are appliedbetween the floating flooring and the subfloor. This can cause aconsiderable dampening of the sound level between two floor levels. Thereduction of sound that can be achieved in the room is of a limitedextent.

[0014] Another method of reducing the sound level is to glue thefloorboards to the subfloor. This results in a certain reduction ofsound in the room, and the sound frequency is felt to be more pleasant.The costs are high and the laying quality is poor, with many and largejoint gaps. A third method is to provide the surface of the floorboardwith a surface layer of e.g. cork. This mate is softer than wood andlaminate and reduces the sound level. A cork floor, however, suffersfrom a number of drawbacks. Durability and impression strength arerelatively low, cost is high and sound reduction may be insufficient.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0015] An object of the present invention is to provide floorboardswhich can be joined mechanically to form a floating flooring with a lowsound level. Such a flooring should at the same time have an attractiveappearance and allow manufacture with great accuracy.

[0016] The invention is based on a first understanding that a low soundlevel should above all be provided using a surface layer which does notproduce a high sound level when being hit with hard materials on itssurface.

[0017] The invention is based on a second understanding that floorboardswith a soft surface layer having a low density have a lower sound levelthan floorboards with surface layers that are hard and have a highdensity.

[0018] The invention is based on a third understanding that it ispossible to provide a surface layer at a low cost, which is soundabsorbing and has high durability and impact strength. Such a surfacelayer should consist of fibers that are flexible and which can becompressed when the floor is subjected to a load, for instance withpeople walking on its surface. These fibers can be made of materialshaving a relatively high density and being very strong, for instancesynthetic fibers or natural fibers such as wool. When the fibers arethin and joined to form a felt or a carpet with air between the flexiblefibers, a surface layer is produced which is soft and has low density.The thickness of the fibers may be, for instance, 0.05-0.10 mm. Thevolume density of the surface layer can be below 400 kg/m³, and it canpreferably have a density of 150-300 kg/m². This is considerably lowerthan wood, laminate and cork and the sound level is significantly lowerthan for all these materials.

[0019] The invention is based on a fourth and highly surprisingunderstanding that a fiber-based surface layer with low density, forinstance in the form of a needle felt mat, can be applied by, forinstance, gluing to a core of e.g. fiberboard. The core can be, forinstance, a particle board, MDF or HDF. This floor element can, forinstance, by sawing be divided into floor panels which are machinedusing, for instance, a combination of rotary knives and diamond tools sothat they form floorboards in a floating floor. The upper joint edgescan be formed in such a manner that, at the surface, they consist mainlyof free fibers and closest to the core, fibers joined to the core. Thesurface layer can then be manufactured with great accuracy and withoutloose fibers. The fibers closest to the core can be joined by mixingwith a flexible material, such as latex. This gives the surface layerbetter stability and facilitates cleaning since dirt cannot penetrateinto the lower parts of the surface layer. Thin surface layer will beeasier to handle if they are integrated with a core.

[0020] The invention is based on a fifth understanding that thesefloorboards can be joined by means of a mechanical joint system which onthe one hand positions the floorboards with great accuracy relative toeach other and which at the same time holds upper joint edges in closecontact. The joints between the floorboards will be very tight and theycan be made essentially invisible to the eye.

[0021] The invention is based on a sixth understanding that a floatingfloor with a fiber surface can be installed quickly and rationally andat a cost that does not have to exceed the cost of putty-coating ofsubfloors and gluing and cutting of a textile floor covering. Attractivepatterns can be provided, for instance, by floorboards with differentformats and different colors of the surface layer being joined to eachother with an exact fit. Attractive patterns can be created, forinstance with a surface of needle felt which normally does not allowvery great variation in pattern. Thin fiber layers, for instance 1-2 mm,which are integrated with a smooth core, can provide a perfectly smoothfloor. For instance, when a needle felt carpet is glued to a fiberboard,the surface will be highly stable as to shape. This facilitates, forexample, printing of advanced patterns on the fiber surface. Durabilityincreases if the surface is flat without rises.

[0022] The invention is based on a seventh understanding that a floatingfloor with a sound-absorbing fiber surface and a mechanical joint systemis easy to take up. Such a floor is particularly convenient fortemporary exhibitions, business premises and the like, in which thefloor is changed frequently, and in premises subjected to great wear.Floorboards in connection with, for example, entrance portions, in whichwear and soiling is great, can easily be exchanged.

[0023] Finally, the invention is based on an eighth understanding thatfloors with different surface layers can be provided with mechanicaljoint systems so as to be joinable to each other. In this way,combination floors can be provided which, for instance, consist oflaminate floor and needle felt floor. If the floorboards have a similarthickness, the floor will be smooth. In walking areas, such a floor canhave a surface of needle felt in order to dampen the sound level. Theother surfaces may consist of, for instance, floorboards with a surfaceof laminate, linoleum, wood or plastic. These surfaces are easy toclean, and suitable combinations of materials can provide an attractivedesign.

[0024] The above thus means that according to the invention it ispossible to provide a floor having all the advantages of a floatinglaminate or wooden floor while at the same time one of the majordrawbacks can be eliminated by means of a surface layer of fibers thatdoes not generate a high sound level.

[0025] This object is achieved wholly or partly by floorboards and amethod for manufacturing that are evident from the independent claims.The dependent claims define particularly preferred embodiments of theinvention.

[0026] According to a first aspect, in one embodiment, the presentinvention comprises rectangular or square floorboards for making afloating flooring, which floorboards are mechanically lockable and whichalong their edge portions have pairs of opposing connecting means forlocking of adjoining floorboards to each other both vertically andhorizontally (D1 and D2 respectively), wherein the surface layer of thefloorboards consists of flexible and resilient fibers.

[0027] In this context, the term “consists of” should be interpreted as“consisting substantially of”, taking into account that the surfacelayer, in addition to the fibers, may also comprise e.g. fiber binders,backing layers, fiber treatment agents (for repelling dirt, flameretardants etc.) or matter resulting from printing of the surface.

[0028] According to a preferred embodiment of this first aspect, thefloorboards can be provided with a surface layer which consists ofneedle felt with a density below 400 kg/m³.

[0029] Several variants of the invention are feasible. The floorboardscan be provided with any prior-art mechanical joint system. Examples ofprior-art mechanical joint systems are provided in WO94/26999,WO97/47834, WO99/66151, WO99/66152, FR-2WO02/055809, WO02/055810 and WO03/083234. Such floorboards can be laid by different combinations ofangling, horizontal snapping-in, vertical snapping-in, or folding andinsertion along the joint edge. The floorboards can also havemirror-inverted joint systems that allow joining of long side to shortside or optional sides if the boards are square.

[0030] According to a second aspect, in one embodiment, the presentinvention comprises a method for rational manufacture of floorboards asdescribed above. According to this method, a surface layer consisting offlexible fibers are joined to a core in order to form a floor element.Joining can occur, for example, by gluing, and the core may consist of awood-fiber-based material such as HDF, MDF, particle board, plywood etc.This floor element is then sawn up and machined to a floorboard using arotary tool. This means that the manufacturing technique ischaracterized in that the surface layer is formed by machining inconnection with the finishing of the joint edges of the floor panel.

[0031] The embodiments of the invention will now be described in moredetail with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings which byway of example illustrate currently preferred embodiments of theinvention according to its various aspects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032]FIGS. 1a-d illustrate manufacture of a floorboard according to anembodiment of the invention.

[0033]FIGS. 2a-d show examples of mechanical joint systems which can beused in embodiments of the invention.

[0034]FIGS. 3a-c show an embodiment of the invention.

[0035]FIGS. 4a-f illustrate the manufacture of the joint edge portionaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

[0036]FIGS. 5a-c show a flow consisting of floorboards with differentsurface layers according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0037]FIGS. 6a-d show embodiments of floors according to the invention.

[0038]FIGS. 7a-e show embodiments off floors and locking systemsaccording to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039]FIGS. 1a-d illustrate the manufacture of a floorboard according toan embodiment of the invention. A layer 31, which in this embodimentconsists of needle felt, is joined, for instance, by gluing to a core30. This core may consist of, for example, particle board, fiberboard,such as MDF, HDF, plywood or the like. A lower layer, for instance abalancing layer 32, can be applied to the rear side to prevent cupping.This rear layer can also be a soft material, such as foam, needle felt,cardboard or the like, which levels irregularities in the subfloor andwhich improves the reduction of sound. This lower layer is in someapplications not necessary. The floor element 3, which may have athickness of e.g. 5-20 mm, is then divided into a plurality of floorpanels 2. These panels are then machined and joint edge portions areformed so as to constitute a mechanical joint system 7, 7′. An exampleof such a joint system on the long sides 4 a and 4 b is shown in FIG.1d. The floorboards could be produced in several alternative ways. Forexample the surface layer 31 and/or the balancing layer 32 could beapplied on the core of the floor panels and not on the core of the floorelements.

[0040]FIGS. 2a-d show examples of mechanical joint systems which can beused in the invention. The joint system according to FIG. 2a can bejoined by vertical snapping-in. In the joint system according to FIGS.2b and 2 c, a groove 36 and a tongue 38 form the vertical joint D1. Astrip 6, a locking element 8 and a locking groove 14 form the horizontaljoint D2. These locking systems can be joined by angling and horizontalsnapping-in. If upper joint edges 41, 42 are compressible, the jointsystem in FIG. 2c can be locked by vertical snapping-in. If the tongue32 is removed, the locking could be accomplished with vertical foldingwithout any snapping. A surface layer 31, which consists of e.g. needlefelt, can be pressed together, and this facilitates verticalsnapping-in. FIG. 2d shows a different embodiment which can be joined byangling and snapping-in. Upper joint edges 41, 42 have in thisembodiment a beveled portion.

[0041] In one embodiment, the floorboard, on a first pair of opposingjoint edges, is provided with a mechanical locking system adapted forlocking the floorboard to an adjoining floorboard both vertically D1 andhorizontally D2. This first pair of opposing joint edges may be thefloorboard's long edges. A second pair of opposing joint edges may beprovided with a mechanical locking adapted for locking the floorboard toan adjoining floorboard vertically and/or horizontally. This second pairof opposing joint edges may be the floorboard's short edges.

[0042] In one embodiment, the second pair of opposing joint edges areprovided with a mechanical locking system which only provides locking inthe vertical direction, such as is the case with a prior-arttongue-and-groove system.

[0043] In another embodiment, the second pair of opposing joint edgesare provided with a mechanical locking system which only provideslocking in the horizontal direction, such as would be the case if thetongue 38 of any one of the embodiments of FIGS. 2b or 2 c was to beremoved, while leaving the locking strip 6 with its locking element 8and the locking groove 14. In FIG. 2d such a case would be accomplishedif the tonge 38 or the lower lip 39 will be removed.

[0044]FIGS. 3a-c illustrate a floorboard which in this embodiment has acore 30 of a relatively soft material, such as MDF or particle board.The locking system has been adjusted to the soft core by the lockingelement 8 having a horizontal extent which is about 0.5 times thethickness of the core 30. The surface layer 31 has outer joint edges 40,41 which in this embodiment project beyond the outer parts of the core30. This projection can be some tenths of a millimeter. The outer partsof the surface layer are pressed together in connection with laying, andthe floorboards will have very tight joints. The mechanical lockingsystem guides the floorboards in exact positions and ensures a highquality of laying. In one embodiment the locking system may have ageometry where a play may exist, between the locking surface 9 of thelocking element 8 and the locking groove 14, when the floorboards 1 and1′ are pressed together. The core 31 can have a thickness of e.g. 6-7mm, and the surface layer 31 can have a thickness of 1-2 mm. In thisembodiment, the total thickness of the floorboard can thus be about 7-9mm, and the floor can then be joined to ordinary laminate floors havinga thickness of about 7-8 mm. Other thicknesses can also be used in thisinvention.

[0045]FIGS. 4a-4 f illustrate how joint edge portions can be machined.We have discovered that a soft surface layer of fibers cannot bemachined accurately by means of cutting rotary tools which are normallyused in manufacture of laminates and wooden floors and the wood-basedcore materials that are the most common ones in these cases. Loosefibers, especially in corner portions, cause a frayed joint edge.Plastics that are used in manufacture of synthetic fibers have as a rulea melting point round 120-160 degrees C. The fibers melt at highmachining speeds. These problems can be solved by the surface layerbeing cut using, for instance, knives. These knives TP1A and TP1B can berotary. The angle of action of the knives is indicated by the arrows R1a and R1 b in FIGS. 4a, 4 b. The knives, which can have other anglesthan the 90 degrees as shown, cut against the core 30, and in thisembodiment the cut is placed outside the upper and outer part of thecore in the completed floorboard. FIGS. 4a-f show that the entire jointsystem can be formed using merely 4 milling tools TP2A, TP2B, TP3A andTP3B which machine the core. The joint system in the shown embodiment ismade in one piece with the core. It is also possible to make the whole,or parts of, the joint system of a material other than that of the coreof the floorboard. For instance the strip 6 can be made of aluminum orof a sheet-formed blank which is machined to a strip and mechanicallyattached to the joint edge.

[0046]FIGS. 5a-c show floorboards with two surface layers. Thefloorboards 1, 1′ can, for instance, have a surface layer of laminate orwood, and the floorboards 2, 2′ can have a surface layer of e.g. needlefelt, linoleum, plastic of some other suitable material. Also othercombinations of materials may be used. FIGS. 5b and 5 c show thatjoining to outer upper parts can take place, which are essentiallypositioned in the same plane. No transition strips are required.

[0047] In an alternative design, the fibers of the surface layer 31 mayextend vertically such that the floorboard having the fiber surfacelayer appears slightly higher than the adjacent, normal floorboard.Hence, the vertical extension of the fiber surface layer may be used toprovide a desired surface structure of the flooring, e.g. in order toprovide the appearance of a rug being placed on a hard floor.

[0048]FIGS. 6a-6 d show examples of floors that can be providedaccording to the invention. In FIG. 6a, the floorboards 2, 2′ have asurface of needle felt. They can be square, for instance 40×40 cm. Thefloorboards 1, 1′ can have a surface of laminate, wood, cork, linoleum,plastic etc. For example they can have a width of 10 cm and a length of40 cm. In FIG. 6b, the squares are offset. If the harder floorboards 1,1′ are positioned at a somewhat lower level than the softer floorboards,the hard floorboards will not cause a high sound level since they will,to a limited extent, be in contact with shoes generating sound. Thus,the invention also concerns a set of floorboards with at least twodifferent surface layers to provide a floor.

[0049]FIGS. 6c and 6 d illustrate floors consisting of two differentfloorboards with surface layers of flexible fibers which differ fromeach other with respect to color, surface structure etc. In FIG. 6c, thefloorboards are joined to form a herringbone pattern. They havemirror-inverted mechanical locking systems that allowjoining of longside to short side by angling and/or snapping-in. The long sides canalso be joined by angling and /or snapping-in. If the short sides of thefloorboards in FIG. 6c have a locking system which only lockshorizontally, the whole floor could be installed with angling only.

[0050]FIG. 7a shows a combination floor in which one floorboard 1 has aharder surface, such as laminate, wood, linoleum, plastic etc. than another floorboard 2′. One floorboar 2′ has in this embodiment a softersurface layer which is positioned higher than the harder surface layerof the other 1′ floorboard. It is preferable to position the softersurface layer on the same or higher level than the harder surface layer.The advantage is the the softer and more flexible layer protects theedges of the hard surface.

[0051]FIG. 7b shows a floorboard with a soft fibre layer 32 on the rearside which may be used as a balancing layer.

[0052]FIG. 7c shows a locking system which only locks horizontally andFIG. 7d shows a locking system which only locks vertically.

[0053]FIG. 7e shows a floorboard where the thickness T1 of the softsurface layer 31 is equal or larger than 0.5 times the thickness T2 ofthe core. Such a thin core gives several advantages related toproduction cost, transport, installation etc. It is possible to producea mechanical locking system by machining in a sheet material which has athickness of 3-5 mm only. Generally diamond tools are used and in orderto reach the best cost and quality levels, the tools should be as thickand compact as possible. A difficult part to produce is the groove 36.In this embodiment the grove 36 and the tongue 38 has a verticalthickness T3 which is larger or equal than 0.5 times the thickness T2 ofthe core 30.

[0054] It is obvious that all prior-art parquet and tile patterns can bemade by means of floorboards according to the invention. The sides ofthe floorboards need not be perpendicular. The soft surface allows thatalso the thickness may be varied between different floorboards. If thecore is made of a moisture-proof material, such as plastic or compactlaminate, floorboards with a fiber surface resembling synthetic grasscan be provided. Such floorboards can be laid immediately on the groundor on concrete, and they may, for instance, constitute tees on golfcourses, balcony floors etc. During the winter, the boards can be takenup and stored under a roof.

[0055] Although only preferred embodiments are specifically illustratedand described herein, it will be appreciated that many modifications andvariations of the present invention are possible in light of the aboveteachings and within the purview of the appended claims withoutdeparting from the spirit and intended scope of the invention.

1. Floorboards comprising a surface layer and a core, for making afloating flooring, which floorare mechanically lockable and which alongtheir edge portions have pairs of opposing connectors for lockingsimilar, adjoining floorboards to each other both vertically andhorizontally, wherein the surface layer comprises flexible resilientfibers.
 2. Floorboards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the core of thefloorboard contains wood fibers.
 3. Floorboards as claimed in claim 1,wherein the surface layer is made of needle felt.
 4. Floorboards asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the surface layer has a density below 400kg/m³.
 5. Floorboards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the floorboards arerectangular or square and that two opposite sides can be joined byinward angling, whereby upper adjoining joint edge portions are incontact with each other.
 6. Floorboards as claimed in claim 5, whereinthe upper adjoining joint edge portions of the floorboards arecompressible and can be changed in shape in connection with joining. 7.Floorboards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface layer consists offlexible resilient fibers.
 8. A method for manufacturing floorboardswith a surface layer and a core, for making a floating flooring, whichfloorboards are mechanically lockable and which along their four edgeportions have pairs of opposing connectors for locking adjoiningfloorboards to each other both vertically and horizonally, for providinga floating floor with mechanically lockable floorboards, the methodcomprises: joining a surface layer of flexible and resilient fibers to awood-fiber-based core to form a floor element, linearly displacing thefloor element and a set of tools for machining the joint edges of thefloor element, to provide at least part of the upper joint edges of thefloor panel.
 9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the set oftools consists of a set of knives and a set of rotary milling tools. 10.A floorboard, for providing a floating flooring, the floorboard having asurface layer and a core, the floorboard, along at least one pair ofopposing edge portions, having pairs of opposing connectors for lockingsaid floorboard to a similar, adjoining floorboard both vertically andhorizontally, wherein the surface layer consists substantially offlexible resilient fibers.
 11. The floorboard as claimed in claim 10,wherein a second pair of opposing edge portions has pairs of opposingconnectors for locking said floorboard to a similar, adjoiningfloorboard vertically or horizontally.
 12. The floorboard as claimed inclaim 10, wherein a second pair of opposing edge portions has pairs ofopposing connectors for locking said floorboard to a similar, adjoiningfloorboard vertically and horizontally.
 13. A method for manufacturingfloorboards with a surface layer and a core, for making a floatingflooring, which floorboards are mechanically lockable and which along atleast one pair of opposing edge portions have pairs of opposingconnectors for locking adjoining floorboards to each other bothvertically and horizontally, for providing a floating floor withmechanically lockable floorboards, the method comprising: joining asurface layer comprising flexible and resilient fibers to awood-fiber-based core to form a floor element, linearly displacing thefloor element relative to a set of tools for machining the joint edgesof the floor element, to provide at least part of the upper joint edgesof the floorboard.